On a routine London-Singapore flight this Tuesday, passengers' worst nightmares came true. In a heart-stopping moment, the aircraft was seized by extreme turbulence and it suddenly descended 1,800 meters in three minutes, hurling unsuspecting travellers as well as crew across the cabin with some even being slammed into the ceiling.
A 73-year-old British man tragically died, possibly from a heart attack, after being severely shaken by the turbulence. The airline also reported that three passengers were from India.
Singapore Airlines CEO Goh Choon Phong confirmed that the pilot declared a medical emergency and diverted to Bangkok.?
According to FlightRadar24, the flight experienced a rapid vertical change consistent with severe turbulence around 0749 GMT. 143 passengers and crew were on board.
"There were thunderstorms, some severe, in the area at the time," reported the flight tracking provider.
Dzafran Azmir, a 28-year-old student on the flight, described the chaos to Reuters: "I saw people from across the aisle going completely horizontal, hitting the ceiling and landing back down in like really awkward positions. People, like, getting massive gashes in the head, concussions."
He added, "Everyone seated and not wearing a seatbelt was launched immediately into the ceiling, some people hit their heads on the baggage cabins overhead and dented it, they hit the places where lights and masks are and broke straight through it."
"The crew and people in lavatories were hurt the most, with many suffering spinal and head injuries," he told the New York Post.
A British man, speaking from a Thai hospital, recounted, "It went from no turbulence... no plane shaking at all, and then I hit the roof. All of a sudden, I was up like that. My son was thrown down on the floor two rows behind me. I heard that there was a guy hitting the roof in the toilet and he was injured quite badly, too."
Allison Barker shared a terrifying text from her son Josh during the flight: "I don’t want to scare you, but I'm on a crazy flight. The plane is making an emergency landing... I love you all."
The sudden turbulence hit over Myanmar's Irrawaddy Basin, about 10 hours into the flight, according to Singapore Airlines.?
An airline pilot familiar with the route noted that severe thunderstorms in the Bay of Bengal are common.?
AccuWeather stated that rapidly developing thunderstorms near Flight 321's path likely caused the violent turbulence.?
Dan DePodwin, AccuWeather's Senior Director of Forecasting Operations, explained that such storms can have strong updrafts exceeding 100 mph, leaving pilots with little time to react.
Meanwhile, the Singapore Airlines CEO said in a video message, "On behalf of Singapore Airlines, I would like to express my deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of the deceased."
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